EAST STROUDSBURG, Pa. – Sophomore quarterback Steven Adams threw a fourth-down touchdown pass to sophomore tailback Mike Frenette with 24 seconds remaining on Saturday afternoon as the Shippensburg University football team rallied from a 17-0 deficit to defeat the homestanding Warriors, 20-17 from Gregory-Douds Field at Eiler-Martin Stadium.

Shippensburg (3-6, 2-4 PSAC East) held ESU scoreless in the second half on its Senior Day and completed an impressive comeback by riding the efforts of Adams, who set career highs for completions and passing yards in the win. Adams finished the game 23-of-37 for 343 yards and two touchdowns, both of which went to Frenette.

East Stroudsburg (3-6, 2-4 PSAC East) stacked the box and stymied the Red Raider ground game, which totaled just 82 total rushing yards (53 of which were recorded by sophomore Kevin Herod). SU adjusted and focused on gaining yards through the air, resulting with its most passing yards in a contest since Oct. 27, 2007.

Frenette and sophomore Bryan Barley each set career highs for single-game receptions and receiving yards. Barley led SU with seven catches for 138 yards – including three receptions for 62 yards on the game-winning drive. Frenette had seven receptions for 118 yards.

Trailing by three points with 2:03 remaining, SU got the ball on its own 20-yard line. Barley was the target of Adams' first three pass attempts, catching throws of 13 and 19 yards to move the Red Raiders into ESU territory. Two plays later, Barley caught a 30-yarder from Adams to put the ball on the 18-yard line.

An 11-yard sack threw a monkey wrench in the drive, as SU had to call its last timeout with 57 seconds remaining. On third-and-21, Adams completed a 14-yard pass to sophomore Jacob Baskerville that set up the winning toss to Frenette. The winning drive featured nine plays in 1:39.

Adams and Frenette hooked up for their first touchdown of the afternoon early in the fourth quarter, capping off a sensational 10-play, 97-yard drive with a 27-yard touchdown. The two-point attempt was intercepted, but Adams tripped up the returner near midfield to prevent the Warriors from scoring at the other end.

That drive was set up by the first career interception for junior defensive back Bryan Culler. Playing in just his fourth game of the season, Culler intercepted a pass at the ESU 3-yard line off a deflection and also clinched the victory with an interception in the game's final 30 seconds.

SU's only points of the first three quarters came off the leg of freshman Drew Newcomer. In the final minute of the first half, Newcomer booted a 35-yard field goal – the longest by an SU kicker since Kyler Ford kicked a 38-yarder last season at Bloomsburg. He added a 26-yarder to cap off a 16-play drive that opened the third quarter and is 5-of-5 on field goals this season.

The Red Raider defense came together and produced a marvelous performance despite the fact that several key starters missed the game due to injury. Linebackers Cody Fleming and Vinnie Ranauto each stepped up with eight tackles while senior co-captain Riley Bowen had a 13-yard sack among his three tackles. Sophomore Mark Kahlil Smith continued his outstanding play along the defensive line with a career-high seven tackles.

The length and distance of these drives was another key factor was SU's time of possession advantage. SU controlled the ball for nearly 12 minutes in the third quarter, over 18 minutes in the second half and 35:50 for the contest. Despite the prevalence of the passing game, the Red Raiders maintained a solid balance with 42 runs compared to 37 passes. SU also committed just two penalties in the contest – the second-fewest in a game this year.

In addition to signifying that the offense had established rhythm, SU's possession advantage kept a dangerous ESU offense off the field - achieving a goal that head coach Rocky Rees had stressed to his club all week long. The Warriors only had four possessions in the second half – two that ended in interceptions and two that ended in punts.

By virtue of Mercyhurst's victory over Clarion and Bloomsburg's victory over Kutztown, the two teams will meet next weekend in the PSAC's annual State Game.

As a result, SU will end its regular season next Saturday at Lock Haven. Kickoff is set for noon.

Notes: SU had not won at East Stroudsburg since a 40-14 win back in 2003…senior Kevin Marshall needs 94 rushing yards in the season finale to enter the school's all-time Top 10 for career yards on the ground…tight ends Jake Biondi and Brian Heitz combined for five receptions and 65 receiving yards… junior Terence Glenn made his first career start for Shippensburg at cornerback.